


My Sweet Nora

by TeamFlashLance



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, Father-Daughter Angst, Fluff, I just love them, WestAllen Family, father-daughter fluff, hints of Westallen, short musings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 10:18:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18496912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamFlashLance/pseuds/TeamFlashLance
Summary: Just a short little fic based on the ending of 5x18 where Barry leaves Nora behind in the future.That last scene broke my heart and I just need them to be okay again.Canon, but sorta not.





	My Sweet Nora

Barry stood there across from Nora, his eyes still stinging from tears as his heart ached with betrayal and hurt.

He looked at his daughters pleading face and his heart cracked even more.

He wasn’t angry at her for going to Thawne. He himself had gone to Thawne multiple times.

Unbeknownst to him in the beginning of his journey, much of what he’d learned was from Thawne.

Thawne taught him how to phase, to control his powers, he even taught him how to go faster.

And after hearing how Nora had gotten to that point, he completely understood why she had been the one to seek his help.

She’d felt alone, betrayed, hurt, and she was grieving the death of her best friend.

Thawne had always been a master manipulator and Nora being vulnerable made her an easy target.

That wasn’t what was bothering him.

What bothered him was that she _kept_ going back to him. Even after she’d come back and met all of them.

She’d been lying to them since she’d gotten there. Lied to him. After all they’d been through. After how much he’d come to _love_ her with every fibre of his being.

She betrayed him and hadn’t trusted him or Iris enough to tell them the truth.

Did she not trust that they would help her? Did she value Thawne’s help over his?

The questions ate away at him and before he knew it, he was telling her he couldn’t trust her. He couldn’t have her around the team if he couldn’t trust her and Thawne still had her under his thumb.

Then he sped her to the future without a second thought, having every intention of leaving her there.

He thought he’d made up his mind until he heard her sob out his name behind him as he was preparing to leave.

“Dad! Please! I’m sorry I lied! Please don’t leave me! Not again! Please!” She begged and pleaded and Barry wanted to break down.

He wanted to scream and cry and he wanted to go find Thawne so he could kill him with his bare hands for doing this. For putting his daughter through this and using her to get back at Barry.

Thawne was the direct and in some cases, indirect cause of everything bad that had ever happened in his life.

And now he was even trying to take his daughter away from him.

When Nora noticed he’d stopped moving, she took her chance and flung herself at him, gripping his arm desperately.

“Please don’t leave like this dad. I can’t lose you again.” Nora cried, her voice choked down with sobs and tears running down her cheeks.

He realized how traumatizing this probably was for her. How desperate she’d been to come back and see him. How desperate she was to not lose him now.

Barry’s entire body clenched and he turned around to face her. He wanted to have a hard face, to not show how much this was ripping him up inside, but he knew that she could see right through it.

“I’ll do anything. I’ll sit in the pipeline for as long as you want. Just don’t leave me here.” She begged, a tint of hysteria in her voice.

Barry knew it was a mistake the moment he did it, but when he glanced down and made eye contact with her, he knew it was over.

His attempt at being a stern, no nonsense father had failed at that exact moment he looked into the eyes that were so much like his, yet also like her mothers’.

Lord knows he could _never_ say no to Iris. How could he ever stand a chance against his daughter?

“I-I can’t trust you anymore, Nora.” Barry responded, the tears making their way down his cheek now that he wasn't holding back his emotions.

Nora shook her head violently, refusing to let go of him as she choked on another sob. “I’ll do anything. I’ll never see him again. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Barry couldn’t stand to see her so desperate.

Despite the pain and upset that he felt just looking at her, he still loved her so much it hurt.

This was his _daughter_. A piece of him and Iris that had come back to save her family. Who had done whatever it took to meet her goal.

The same daughter with that glorious smile, who looked at him like he was her hero while they fought together side-by-side everyday.

Who had made amends with Iris and had made her mother happier than he’d seen in a long time.

Who stayed up late at night to play video games with her Uncle Cisco even though the games were “super old and way vintage”.

Who cradled her Auntie Jenna in her arms while she sat and watched old movies with her papa Joe and mama Cecile.

Cecile was right, she hadn’t done any of it maliciously. She was still his sweet Nora.

That didn’t make her lies and deceit right though. And Barry struggled with what the right decision should be.

Does he teach her a lesson? Or does he try to just live with the fact that she lied to him for months?

With Barry practically immobile as he lost himself in his thoughts, Nora wrapped her arms tight around his waist and refused to let go.

They must’ve looked ridiculous, standing there in the middle of a darkened courtyard, the tears flowing like a waterfall.

“I’m sorry. Please dad, don’t go.” She whispered brokenly. She was so short her cheek only came up to rest against his chest and he was once again struck with how much she was like Iris.

And then he thought about how Iris would feel if he just abandoned their daughter in the future and forbade her from coming back without even consulting her first.

And then he felt awful again.

He didn’t think he was overreacting, but he also couldn’t do this to his family. He was being selfish by not allowing Iris a say in this.

True, she didn’t have the same stake in the Thawne aspect. Her mother wasn’t murdered by the Reverse Flash. She hadn’t been tormented by him for years to the extent Barry had.

But Nora was her daughter too and it was wrong of him to even consider leaving Nora in her own time without first consulting Iris.

Barry squeezed his eyes shut and slowly wrapped his arms around his daughter, holding her as tightly as she held him.

Nora’s breath hitched and she sobbed again, burying her face in his shirt.

“You know I love you right? That isn’t what this is about. I don’t love you any less.” Barry spoke softly, his voice wavering.

Nora hiccuped and looked up at him. “B-but you-“

“I don’t trust you right now, no. You went back to him Nora. Multiple times, even knowing your mom and I were right there and we would’ve done everything to help you. You lied to me since the moment you got here. That’s what hurts the most. But I still love you.” Barry explained, swiping a hand under his eye to catch a stray tear.

“Dad, I-“ Nora started, and Barry could tell she was getting worked up again.

“Shh.” Barry shushed her, sighing a little as he felt himself deflate. “Let’s just go back, okay?”

Nora looked up at him with her shiny, devastated eyes and Barry knew what she was asking.

“Yeah. Both of us.” He sighed again. “I’m not happy, Nora. Not by a long shot. But I can’t- I can’t leave you. As much as I wish I could be stronger about this.”

Nora looked down in shame and despair, sniffling and wiping her eyes as fresh tears made themselves known.

“I love you, okay? And I always will.” Barry knew he was being a little harsh and hated himself for it. But he also hated himself for not following through with his immediate planned rightfully punishing her for her actions.

Nora sniffled again, louder this time. “I love you too, dad.” Hearing her say those words never failed to make his heart swell and this time was no exception.

God, how could he be so hurt and betrayed yet still want nothing more than to take her home to Iris so the three of them could cuddle on the couch together and watch late night television? (one of Iris’ many guilty pleasures)

“C’mon.” Barry reached for her hand and sped them through the breach.

He could all but feel the fear and dread come off of Nora in waves as they touched back down in present time (or rather, Barry’s time).

“I’m sorry I scared you like that. I’m sorry I almost... left you there. I shouldn’t have been so quick to dump you somewhere like that.” Barry let go of her hand and sat down in the chair near the computer, his head in his hands.

Nora’s cheeks were bright pink and swollen from her constant crying and rubbing as she slumped down into the chair next to him.

“What do we do now?” She asked softly, her voice defeated and exhausted.

Barry glanced up at the clock to see that a mere two minutes had passed here even though they’d been in the future for at least ten minutes.

“Right now? I just need to rest. I need to think. Tomorrow, we’ll deal with what we do next. It’ll start with confronting Thawne.” Barry added darkly, feeling the hatred and anger bubble up just as the name came off his tongue.

He didn’t notice Nora look up at him in fear and worry, not wanting to say a word and set Barry off again. So a minute or two passed in silence.

“I don’t want to go home yet.” Nora whispered. He didn’t know if she was more embarrassed or more hurt. “Can we... Can we go somewhere to just sit? Somewhere calmer?”

Barry squeezed his eyes shut, “Nora, I really don’t think-“

“We don’t have to talk about all this.” She said quickly.

Barry knew she desperately wanted the two of them to be alright again. But it wasn’t that simple. He couldn’t just forgive and forget this one in a matter of minutes.

But god he wanted to try. He wanted to go back to the time where they raced to go get ice cream, giggling and laughing the whole time.

He wanted to come home to Iris setting up monopoly or a trivia game, a bright, adoring smile on her face as she observed her husband and daughter loaded down with pizza and sweets.

Thawne may have wrecked the trust between them, but he wouldn't let him destroy his family or their happy memories. He wouldn’t let Thawne win.

So he nodded. “Okay. Just for a little while. Then we need to get home.” He agreed.

The little hint of a smile that appeared on Nora’s face was enough to make a small sense of relief flow through him.

That smile meant the world to him. She meant the world to him. He said he’d do anything to make the world a better place for her. _His_ daughter.

And tomorrow, that’s exactly what he was going to do.

**Author's Note:**

> Until next communion!


End file.
